Shadows of Bankor

It had taken some time to work up the courage but Dak had finally messaged Dove earlier in the day asking if she would like a proper date tonight to celebrate a successful op.

He pulled up to her apartment in his speeder. He was dressed to kill in an outfit that had been collecting dust in his closet since he had arrived on Bankor. The Cathar was rather glad his people didnt sweat as he would likely be feeling it now, his heart was racing fairly quick. For ancestors sake hed tried to kill this woman half a dozen times, why was the prospect of taking her for drinks more terrifying than staring down the barrel of a blaster?

With a gulp and a second to steel himself he gave the door a couple of firm raps.

He didn't wait long as Dove opened the door soon enough, dressed withstylish yet with a sexy simplicity. Her platinum blonde hair was down and swept to the side. "Hey there, handsome. Here to show me a good time?" she asked with a grin.

Dove on the other hand hadn't been too surprised that Dak had reached out for another meeting, though there was some element of scepticism at first. It wasn't easy to put the past behind her sometimes, even if she didn't hold grudges. She just had to remind herself that he disliked the Empire as much as she did, and he wasn't an agent of theirs.

Dak gave her a once over before offering her his arm "I'll do my best to." He said with a mischievous grin. He certainly had similar misgivings as Dove but their time together last night had been really fun, at least in his mind. She seemed what he imagined her to be if they werent enemies.

Dak would open the door for her once they reached the speeder it had been awhile since had been on a real date but he still remembered the manners he had picked up on coruscant. Once he took his seat and they were on their way "Well ms.Gray you look pretty damn great tonight."

"Why thank you," she smiled warmly, ready for him to surprise her with where they were going. "And you look pretty fine yourself. Must've been some years since I last saw you dressed up all fancy-like, hmm..." Dove tried to remember when she last had seen him dressed up, rather than in fieldwear.

"Hmmmm" he thought for a moment "Probably that time on Courscant where you weaseled your way into a senator's gala on the arm of some representative or another, I cant remember how you got in I do remember the little black dress you wore. I also remember wondering where you hid a knife in the thing later when I caught you sneaking off." He offered with a chuckle.

"Now as for this evening are you hungry? You want to get dinner or just grab some drinks?" He asked having in mind different places for each thing.

"Ooh," she said as it all came back to her as well, a reminiscing tone in her voice as her eyes lit up slightly. "Ah, well, a lady's gotta keep some secrets - I can't tell you where I hide all my dangerous tools and gadgets."

Was that the time I had it in my cleavage, or in my heel....?

"Some food would be nice, I say. Been a hectic day, all in all, at least for me." Prison break, dates with evil overlords, saving old men from traffic. Just another day in the life of Dove Gray.

Dak snorted "You could say that. I dont know if I've ever done an op that foolhardy before. We've got something looking out for us that's for sure. I mean going in half cocked based off the intel from a potientially compromised asset to take down a highly armed and fortified enemy facility? It's a miracle it worked at all but that we got out with almost no casualties? Kriffing miracle." He said with a laugh.

"As for food I know a pretty nice place in the Golden Market, almost matches up to the fancy core world places. Actually might be better food in my opinion. Something more genuine about it." He said as he set a course for the restaurant in question. It was in the nicer part of the golden market and sported a tasteful script reading "Korton's" in gilded letters against the white building.

"Not the craziest thing I've done, but I think I will put it on my top 10... or no, my top 5 list," she laughed softly along with him. "It went a lot smoother than I thought it would, to be honest. I guess the Empire isn't paying those folks enough for better security."

"Yeah? You know, I suspect some of the reasons the food here can be pretty good is because it isn't imported from off-world. They get a lot of it from Jaklu which is just around the corner in comparison to most of Coruscant's places." While Coruscant had plenty of greenhouses, it was nowhere near enough to feed a population that was counting over a trillion.

Dove recognized it as a place she had passed by, but not visited yet. Today was going to be some firsts, which was always exciting. "Can't say I've ever gone on a date with a former work-rival, to be honest..."

Dak chuckled as he parked the speeder and exited moving around to open her door for her "I'm sure it's not the craziest thing I've done but its top 2 or 3 for sure."

Dak nodded at her point about food quality "yeah They make good food out there, honest hard work and sunshine none of the artificially grown stuff you see on courscant and other industrial worlds. It's been a long time since I've been out to the coast, should plan a trip down there sometime."

Dak thought for a moment "Yeah I cant say too many direct work rivals are alive honestly, maybe you and one or two others." He gave her a grin "but neither of them are nearly as stunning as you."

The man at the door led them to a table, the inside was classy but understated. obviously quality but didnt think too much of itself.

"Now you're just being a flatterer. I feel pretty confident that there are better-looking ladies out there. Or just as good-looking... or both." Like three more of them at least. She took his hand as she exited the speeder, and allowed herself to walk in arm in arm with him.

"It's kind of weird to not really know what's the status of my old... colleagues, so to speak. Most of them went underground, I guess?" Dove commented, taking a moment to check out the understated decor as the host made its way over to them. Or she was looking for exits or sniper-points. Considering their past line of work, it seemed equally possible.

"Well that may be so but you're the most beautiful woman I see here tonight." He says with grin.

He then chuckled as the menu's were put in front of them "Wow you really do have a hard time switching it off dont you?" He said with a smile and a raised eyebrow. "Its ok though I unfortunately know where most of mine ended up. A lot of them bought into the poodoo they were selling." A shadow passed over his features but he shook his head and the smile returned to his lips "but hey what happened happened."

She raised her right eyebrow slightly. "The skyline got a new feature earlier, so I find it sensible to always be a little bit on edge, silly."

A part of her right now envied Dak a little. He wasn't in the biz anymore while she was now swimming in the shark-pool... and Dove suspected that she had been programmed to live and breathe the job.

"Shame to hear about that being their end... sometimes one wonder if things could have turned out differently. If those attempts at negotiations had gone through, or people leaving peacefully instead of what happened."

Looking over the menu, Dove picked out a few things that seemed interesting. Even something she hadn't tried before.

"Well I suppose I could be more on guard." He shrugged "I've been under the radar for the last two years, the empire would have very little reason to believe I've suddenly become a problem, if they know I'm here at all."

"Though I'll need to be more careful here soon, it looks like I'm back in the game. Had a meeting with some people earlier, they'll give me direction and I'll do what I'll do." He said as he set down his own menu ordering a few small meat dishes and looked to Dove "Sweet or dry?" He asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Dry," she closed the menu and placed it down.

"Back in the game, huh?" She gave him a look... the kind that was almost reminiscing of the past, while also trying to consolidate it with the present. "Well, after today, we're all in it again. No going back after that, I think. Just remember to be careful, alright?"

Dak nodded with a smile "Not surprising." and ordered a bottle of something dry that was recommended by the waiter."When the zabrak walked away Dak shrugged "at least this time we're on the same side of it." He for one was glad to be working with her this time, he already knew she was a phenomenal field asset.

Dak grinned "Be careful there Dove you'll make me think you care about me." He quipped teasingly as the waiter brought their wine and glasses filling each Dak picked his up and presented it as a toast "To Old friends and new relationships."

She smirked. "You're a skilled sniper, and a good field operative. Of course I'd be upset to lose a valuable ally like that, Dak."

With the glasses filled, Dove lifted hers as well. "And to common enemies, and strange bedfellows." She gave him a wink before bringing the glass to her red lips. The wine at least seemed to be to her liking.

"But contrary to popular belief, I do care, you know. I care about a lot of folks. You included now that we've put the past behind us."

Dak drank from his as well it was an ok wine, at least drinkable not his favorite but he was glad to see Dove enjoyed it. "I know you care Dove, I heard about the work you've been doing to help out in the slums. you and that girl you live with, Mia I think, she seems nice too. Sorry I checked into you a bit, old habits die hard and all that." After he had seen her at the enclave he had done a bit of digging to see what she had been up to. "Its good work you've been doing though."

"You've been digging into me, huh?" Dove was mildly entertained by that particular bit. "Did you discover anything else of interest then? I'm now curious as to what people are saying about me, and what you managed to actually find."

Dak smiled a little sheepishly in return "Well after I saw you at the enclave I was curious especially since I had told you where I lived. I had assumed you weren't up to anything shady by the fact you were putting yourself on the line for the Aznuri but I wanted to double check."

He took another sip of wine "Well by all accounts you're a pretty stand up lady, live in an apartment in the slums with a person named Mia, frequently visited by a boy named Petrus, who I met at the thing this morning, hes a good guy. Umm you also do work with relocation, that little bit cost me a little to find out, the people you work with like you. But yeah so seem like you're spending your time helping people."

"Wow. Good work, I'd say," damn, she hoped the Dak was just really good at his job, and not that her tracks were so easily found. "But yeah, you got all of that right. Mia and I've been helping people after the war... especially those who need a bit more help in the new state of the galaxy."

She shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a good samaritan?"

He certainly made if sound easier than it was, it had cost him a fair number of credits to uncover her side activities "Well not too many platinum bombshells live in the slums of Rygor. You're a bit out of place dear. And like I said it took a lot of convincing and palm greasing to find out about your other activities."

Dak smiled "yeah it's good to see. Almost makes me feel bad for the way I've been spending my time since the war, I mean here you are using your skills to help people where as I became little better than a hired thug."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't feel bad about what was. Our circumstances were different... besides, you seem to be turning over a new leaf now, and joining the fight, so to speak."

Dove paused and took another sip of wine. "Besides, living in the slums has its perks. Imps don't go in there much, so it's a hotbed for all sorts of things."

Dak waved his hand dismissively and a warm smile was on his lips "no no, please, I wasnt trying to get a woe is me thing going. I just was saying that i was, I dont know, impressed by you and the way you've adjusted and how you've spent your time." A hand moved across the table and held hers for a moment giving it a squeeze "You're an impressive woman Dove Gray."

He let her hand go and retreated to his side of the table as their food arrived. "So how does Dove Gray spend her time when she isnt being a super spy savior to the down trodden?" He asked before taking a small bite of food. Well made, flavorful a little spicy, a little sweet. Pretty good.

Fooood, internal Dove drooled over the scent of warm food.

"You seem to have quite the impression of me, Dak," she smiled warmly as their hands touched. Dove didn't really feel like a saviour to the downtrodden... a saviour needed to be someone that could stand in the spotlight and give people hope. That wasn't the place for her.

She took a big mouthful of food to start with, letting the natural pause settle in before responding. The meat was something to appriciate, after all. "Music mostly. It's one of the things that help me wind down, as drinking is a pretty bad habit to get into." And Mia had made sure she didn't start bad habits like that. "Or just looking for new ways to get into trouble. What about you? Got any hobbies to go with your wilderness-lifestyle?"

Dak had taken another bite while she was dealing with her larger one he finished and took a sip of wine and put on a thoughtful expression "Well a lot of what you might guess, hiking, hunting, fishing the like. Work when I get it, guiding rich tourists around dangerous wilderness takes me all over Bankor. Been to the Wound, the desert, the Sky Shroud Sea, among other places."

"Music is fun, I got a batang a while back while on mission, a thankful senator whose life i saved gifted it to me as it's a traditional instrument of his planet. Sounds kind of like a guitar just a bit lower usually. I pick at it here and there, I can play it ok." He paused a bit "ummm probably spend too much time at the Nerf for my own good but they do great live music. We should go sometime." He said with a smile as he tool another bit to signal the end of his talking.